A number of informal weekly German conversation opportunities are taking place on campus, such as meetings of the German Club, in the Max Kade German Residence, and three weekly activities offered through the German Department, Convo on the Go, Schokoladenstunde, and Kreativwerkstatt. Everyone is invited to attend. You can earn 2 “A&P Tally” make-up points by attending any of these events! (German Club, Max Kade Kaffeestunde or Deutschtisch, or the German dept events). Here are more details about the events offered through the German department:
- “Schokoladenstunde” will convene on Mondays at 5 p.m. in the Language Resource Center in North Quad (in the comfortable seating area between the two computer classrooms.) There will be some German chocolate to snack on. Silvia Grzeskowiak (sgrzesko@umich.edu) will bring games, and the hour will be spent chatting and playing games in German (e.g. Tabu.)
- “German Convo on the Go” will meet on Tuesdays at 5 p.m. at Burton Tower for a 1-hour walk and talk with Mary Gell (magell@umich.edu). This event happens ‘rain (or snow) or shine’.
- “Kreativwerkstatt (click here for a flyer!):” Chat in German and express yourself creatively. Crafting, coloring, painting, drawing, knitting, sewing, crochet, embroidery, origami? At the weekly German “Kreativwerkstatt,” which takes place on Thursdays at 3 p.m. in 3308 MLB, you will combine speaking German (any level welcome, beginners included!!) and creatively expressing yourself. You are encouraged to bring your own materials or (ongoing) projects, but we will also provide some materials and prompts each week. If you have questions about “Kreativwerkstatt” please contact Laura Okkema (lokkema@umich.edu) or Iris Zapf-Garcia (iriszaga@umich.edu.)
The “German Lab” is a partly virtual, partly in person office hour taking place Monday-Thursday 1-4 pm. You can ask shorter and longer questions, come for conversation practice, help with homework etc. Here is more info about the German Lab – please take advantage of this great resource! Please sign up in advance on the German Lab Signup: instructors will check the signup at the beginning of their German Lab hour, and will leave the lab for that hour if no one has signed up. You will see a Zoom link for instructors who will be available virtually, and room numbers for instructors who are available in person.
Advisor office hours and contact info: You can reach the German advisors through a general email: germanadvising@umich.
- Mary Rodena-Krasan (MLB 3128; mkrasan@umich.edu)
- Karl-Georg Federhofer (MLB 3422; kallimz@umich.edu)
- Conversation Opportunities – Conversation Hours, German Lab
- Study Abroad, Internships, Scholarship Deadlines – Study Abroad/Internships/Scholarship Info
- Advising Info – German Courses & Majoring/Minoring in German
- Conversation Partner Options – Miscellaneous
- International Center Global Engagement and Education Abroad email list – Miscellaneous
- Finding German Films and Series Online – Miscellaneous
- Chrome Extension for Dual-Language Subtitles – Miscellaneous
- “Schokoladenstunde” will convene on Mondays at 5 p.m. in the Language Resource Center in North Quad (in the comfortable seating area between the two computer classrooms.) There will be some German chocolate to snack on. Silvia Grzeskowiak (sgrzesko@umich.edu) will bring games, and the hour will be spent chatting and playing games in German (e.g. Tabu.)
- “German Convo on the Go” will meet on Tuesdays at 5 p.m. at Burton Tower for a 1-hour walk and talk with Mary Gell (magell@umich.edu). This event happens ‘rain (or snow) or shine’.
- “Kreativwerkstatt (click here for a flyer!)“: Chat in German and express yourself creatively. Crafting, coloring, painting, drawing, knitting, sewing, crochet, embroidery, origami? At the weekly German “Kreativwerkstatt,” which takes place on Thursdays at 3 p.m. in 3308 MLB, you will combine speaking German (any level welcome, beginners included!!) and creatively expressing yourself. You are encouraged to bring your own materials or (ongoing) projects, but we will also provide some materials and prompts each week. If you have questions about “Kreativwerkstatt” please contact Laura Okkema (lokkema@umich.edu) or Iris Zapf-Garcia (iriszaga@umich.edu.)
German Club Stammtisch takes place weekly on Wednesdays 7-8 p.m., in the Michigan League Underground. Look for weekly updates in these emails.
Max Kade “Deutschtisch” takes place Wednesdays, 6-7 p.m., in the Dining Hall of North Quad. Visitors should look for a table with German/Swiss/Austrian flags and a bunch of students speaking German. Max Kade “Kaffeestunde” takes place Fridays, 5-6 p.m., in the Edward Said Lounge of North Quad (Room 2450). German students at all levels (101 and up) are welcome at all Max Kade events. If you have any questions, please ask Vera (veremeev@umich.edu).
The “German Lab” is a partly virtual, partly in person office hour taking place Monday-Thursday 1-4 pm. You can ask shorter and longer questions, come for conversation practice, help with homework etc. Here is more info about the German Lab – please take advantage of this great resource! Please sign up in advance on the German Lab Signup: instructors will check the signup at the beginning of their German Lab hour, and will leave the lab for that hour if no one has signed up. You will see a Zoom link for instructors who will be available virtually, and room numbers for instructors who are available in person.
LRC Conversation Partner Site Check out this site to find a conversation partner, and/or register so others can find you on the site. Please notify the LRC if you notice problems (e.g. outdated records etc.). Don’t be shy: the more people sign up, the better the site will work!
A2 Stammtisch
- Meets every other Thursday at 8:00 pm at Grizzly Peak, 120 West Washington St. Pre-registration is requested: Contact Mechthild Heerde-Olind at heerdeolind “at” yahoo.com to be added to the email list. You can also check the event listings in the Ann Arbor Observer for info on meeting times and locations. [last verified: 1/23/2023]
- This is NOT something you can do to make up an absence, but you can still go for fun and/or write about it for an AMD.
Email germaneboard@umich.edu to get put on the email list, or “like” the club on Facebook at facebook.com/germanclubumich for updates!
Faculty Advisors Mary Rodena-Krasan & Kalli Federhofer
Contact our two faculty advisors, Mary or Kalli, for advice on study abroad, internships abroad, a German major/minor, upper-level German courses, career opportunities in German, study-abroad and work-abroad opportunities, etc.
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- Click here to see Mary’s and Kalli’s contact info and (frequent!) office hours
- To reach either advisor: germanadvising@umich.edu
- You can also schedule appointments with Mary & Kalli by clicking here
- …and you can contact Kalli via text message (734-277-7341) or via Facebook (Kalli Federhofer)
German Peer Advisors/Mentors
If you would like to get in touch with a peer mentor in our Department, please write to: germanmentors@umich.edu. Their expertise includes:
- Current classes and potential courses
- Study abroad, internship, and traveling in Germany
- Academic requirements (major/minor, LSA language requirement) and combination (engineering, pre-health, etc.)
- Max Kade House
- Departmental scholarships/fellowships
- On- and off-campus German opportunities (German Club, German Day, etc.)
- Career/job search
- Getting involved – enhancing your undergraduate experience with the German Department
- Academic Year in Freiburg 2024-2025 (Friday, December 1; Early Application Deadline)
- Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals (CBYX) 2024/2025 (Wednesday, November 1; Application Deadline)
- DAAD Scholarship – Master Studies in Germany for all Academic Disciplines (Friday, November 3; Application Deadline)
- Internship Posting: DAAD Research Internships in Science and Engineering in Germany – Summer 2024 (Thursday, November 30; 5 p.m., Application Deadline)
- LSA Internship Funding Page
[This page will only include entries in this category when there is a job/internship etc. aimed at German students at all levels. To see more internship and job opportunities, scroll through Kalli’s blog, addressed to all upper-level German students]
There is a German Department facebook group, and a German Department facebook page:
- “German Advising at University of Michigan” [Read news here!] Join this group to see much of the information you see in this email, as well as other relevant info, in the form of individual announcement posts.
- German Department facebook page: Check it out!
You can find weekly updates similar to this email but with lots more content on this blog.
We also encourage you to join us on our LinkedIn site: ‘University of Michigan German Department’
You can also follow us on Twitter: @umichGerman
Conversation Partner Options: Various options for finding conversation partners are listed on this page.
Sign up here for the International Center’s Global Engagement and Education Abroad email list. Weekly emails include info on workshops regarding travel and work abroad, conversation groups, cultural info sessions etc. SEHR interessant!
Finding German Films and Series
- Check the Telescope website for info on German films and series worth watching, including trailers and details on where they are available online.
- Here is a survey of German film series that you can watch in the US, compiled by the Goethe Insitute.
- Here is another list of German television and shows available on Netflix and Amazon Prime. The rankings seem arbitrary, but the descriptions and availability info are very helpful.
Chrome Extension for Dual-Language Subtitles
A German 101 student has found a Google Chrome extension that allows for subtitles in two languages, and has found this very helpful for watching e.g. “Dark” in German for his AMDs. I have not had time to try this, but if you find the dual language subtitles in the “Easy German” videos helpful, then this may be worth checking out. The extension is called Language Reactor.